1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an image processing method, an image processing device and a recording medium, and, in particular, to an image processing method, an image processing device and a recording medium, usable in a driver software, an image editing software, and so forth, of a color printer, and so forth.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, in many cases, image data taken through a digital still camera (digital camera) is used after being input to a work station, a personal computer or the like. For the image data thus input to such a device, a user may wish to make desired modification thereto by utilizing characteristics of such a digital image when a thus-taken image is taken in an exposure unsatisfactory condition, a taken-into-sun condition, or the like. In a case of such a digital image as that taken through a digital camera, in contrast to a case of a picture taken by a conventional silver bromide type camera, high-grade hue correction can be performed thereon by using image correcting/modifying software.
There are various types of image correcting/modifying software used for correcting/modifying such digital image data. By starting up such software in a computer, a user can perform various correction/modification operations on digital image data. For example, it is possible to enhance a contrast of the image by increasing the brightness thereof.
Further, there are many methods of automatic hue correction operation proposed. For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 10-208034 discloses a process of changing a correspondence relationship between an original brightness distribution and an after-transformed brightness distribution, from a direct proportional one into an S-shape distorted one, and performing automatic contrast correction.
Further, the above-mentioned Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 10-208034 also discloses an art in which, by installing automatic image correction processing software into a printer driver software or into a printer body itself, an image taken through a digital camera or a scanner is automatically corrected, and, then, is printed out. Furthermore, in this publication, some other configurations are disclosed. For example, it is determined from a state in brightness distribution of a given image whether or not the image is a two-tone-level image, or a business graph. Then, when in such a case, the above-mentioned automatic contrast correcting operation can be prevented from being performed on the image.
By installing the above-mentioned automatic image correction processing program into a printer driver software or a printer body itself, it is possible that even an image lacking contrast or with an unsatisfactory color balance can be output after the hue thereof being well controlled.
However, by such a method, as the printer itself automatically controls the hue of an image, a problematic result printed out may occur such that the printed out image does not reflect an operation of a user when the user intentionally performs the operation of correction on the same image manually through an image correction/modification software other than the above-mentioned automatic image correction processing program.